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The following largely unconfirmed records have all been published for interest only in Bulletins of the African Bird Club.

The excellent rains in December 2005 and early 2006 throughout the country brought some bonuses. In the north there was a good influx of crakes, with African Crakes Crex egregia and Spotted Crakes Porzana porzana recorded from Sua Spit in the Makgadikgadi system, and numerous African and Striped Crakes Aenigmatolimnas marginalis in the Okavango Delta, whilst in the south-east Melodious Larks Mirafra cheniana, Cloud Cisticolas Cisticola textrix (new for Botswana) and Bokmakieries Telophorus zeylonus were observed between Pitsane Siding and Kgoro Pan. A Red (Grey) Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius was reported from Nxai Pan and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

There were 41 Black-necked Grebes Podiceps nigricollis at Kgoro Pan in south-east Botswana and a single at Pitsane Pan on 11 January; in the Makgadikgadi system three were seen at Nata Sanctuary and 11 at Sua Spit on 3-4 February. Particularly exciting was the location of six breeding colonies of Slaty Egrets Egretta vinaceigula in the Okavango Delta in March-May 2006. Nests had eggs and chicks, and were sited in reedbeds and on palm islands. In 2005 known colonies were not in use, but again the good rains seem to have acted as a stimulus to breeding of Slaty Egrets in 2006, often alongside Rufous-bellied Herons Butorides rufiventris and Squacco Herons Ardeola ralloides. A Black Stork Ciconia nigra  was noted at Dopotta in the Tuli Block on 3 January 2006 and another in the Dopotta River on 17 March. An estimated 81,474 Lesser Flamingos Phoeniconaias minor (c.40,737 pairs) and 24,380 Greater Flamingos Phoenicopterus (ruber) roseus (12,190 pairs) were counted from aerial photographs of the breeding colonies in Sua Pan on 28 January. Maccoa Duck Oxyura maccoa, usually found only in south-east and eastern Botswana, bred in the Makgadikgadi Pans and a single bird was seen on Mea Pan in the south of the system in May.

An Osprey Pandion haliaetus was seen at Gaborone Dam in the Yacht Club area in December 2005, and up to three were on the Boteti River above Samedupi in mid-January. Two Grey Crowned Cranes Balearica regulorum were noted at Sua Spit on 14 February, whilst on 25 February eight were seen flying to roost in a reed-bed near the inflow of the Semowane River into Sua Pan. Recent evidence suggests that a pair of Blue Cranes Anthropoides paradisea had nested in the Makgadikgadi Pans up to 2002. As most records of Thrush Nightingale (or Sprosser) Luscinia luscinia come from the north and east of Botswana, a record of two in the Kopong Hills on 4 March is of interest. So too the occurrence of Pale Flycatchers Bradornis pallidus south of Gaborone.

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Records from the period January 2005-January 2006 include the following. There was a high count of 166 Great Crested Grebes Podiceps cristatus at Bokaa Dam, in the south-east on 24 July. At Letsibogo Dam, in eastern Botswana, there was an exceptional count of 450 Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo on 1 July. Counts at just eight roosts in the Okavango Delta in July-August produced over 1,200 Slaty Egrets Egretta vinaceigula or dark egrets, presumed to be Slaty Egrets (and not Black Herons E. ardesiaca), the majority of these at just four roosts. On 1-2 July, 23 Pink-backed Pelicans Pelecanus rufescens were seen at Letsibogo Dam; six nests were occupied. At a ’heronry’ on islands in Lediba la Dinonyane near Kananain in the Okavango Delta, 33 Pink-backed Pelican nests were counted on 13 September, with adults incubating on most. There were also 20 nests of Marabou Storks Leptoptilos crumeniferus and 592 nests of African Openbill Storks Anastomosus lamelligerus. One Black Stork Ciconia nigra was seen on the Thamalakane River in Maun on 23 April and three along the Tati River at Francistown on 11 February.

An estimated 10,000-12,000 Lesser Flamingos Phoeniconaias minor were nesting on Sua Pan in late January 2005. On 2 March, some 5,000-10,000 birds were still there, seen from Thlapama Hill near Mea Pan. Apart from small numbers of Lesser Flamingos at dams and sewage ponds in east and south-east Botswana, there were c.300 at Bokaa Dam on 3 December and c.400 at Lake Ngami in mid December, plus 330 Greater Flamingos Phoenicopterus (ruber) roseus.

A young Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres, fitted with a satellite-tracking device at Waterberg, Namibia, spent two weeks in the western part of the Okavango Delta in mid 2005. Lake Ngami, in north-west Botswana, flooded for the second consecutive year. On 26 July and 7 August there were 33 and 46 White Storks Ciconia ciconia, respectively. These were presumably European birds staying on. In September there was a single Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus. In mid December, when the lake was drying, there were 750 Great White Pelicans Pelecanus onocrotalus, 67 Pink-backed Pelicans, flamingos (see above), many waterfowl including 6,400 Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhyncha, an Osprey Pandion haliaetus, c.15 Lesser Kestrels Falco naumanni, 1,000 Black-winged Pratincoles Glareola nordmanni, 30 Common Ringed Plovers Charadrius hiaticula, 60 Caspian Plovers C. asiaticus, five Grey Plovers Pluvialis squatarola and 12 Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa.

Two Corncrakes Crex crex were ringed in Maun at the start of December. Two Grey Crowned Cranes Balearica pavonina were near Maya Pan, in Moremi Game Reserve, on 21 May and one was south-east of Mmatshumo, in 2125B4, in September 2005. About 300 Chestnut-banded Plovers Charadrius pallidus, two Greater Sand Plovers C. leschenaultii, a Grey Plover, four Sanderling Calidris alba and a Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata were at the drying edge of Sua Pan and in drying pools in the River Nata, in the Nata Delta, on 12 August. At Bokaa Dam there was a Black-tailed Godwit on 25 September and three Grey Plovers and two Black-winged Pratincoles on 3 December.

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Records from the period August 2004-March 2005 include the following. At least three breeding colonies of African Openbill Anastomus lamelligerus, comprising many thousands of individuals, were found in Phragmites in the northern part of the Okavango Delta between August and October.

In December-January, some 114,970 waterbirds were counted throughout Botswana. Almost 95,000 of these were in the Okavango Delta with more than half (58,500) at Lake Ngami. Of particular significance at that lake were 5,200 Great White Pelicans Pelecanus onocrotalus, 980 Greater Flamingos Phoenicopterus (ruber) roseus, 20,000 Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhyncha, 4,750 Knob-billed Ducks Sarkidiornis melanotos, 4,200 Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus, 1,000 Black-winged Pratincoles Glareola nordmanni, 500 Caspian Plovers Charadrius asiaticus and 240 Whiskered Terns Chlidonias hybrida. Amongst the many waders on the mudflats were 21 Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa and two Eurasian Curlews Numenius arquata, plus at various times Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres, Common Redshank Tringa totanus, Lesser Yellowlegs T. flavipes and Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus (the latter three still being adjudicated by the records committee). Throughout the delta a total of 233 Slaty Egrets Egretta vinaceigula was seen, including one flock of 63. The Thamalakane and Boteti rivers also supported large numbers of birds (14,036) and of particular note were 1,666 Fulvous Whistling Ducks Dendrocygna bicolor, 543 White-backed Ducks Thalassornis leuconotus, 1,150 Southern Pochards Netta erythrophthalma, three or four Ospreys Pandion haliaetus, a Eurasian Curlew, four Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus, a Ruddy Turnstone and 23 African Skimmers Rynchops flavirostris. Two more Ospreys and three single Green Sandpipers Tringa ochropus were at various sites in the delta. The Chobe River floodplain produced three Black-tailed Godwits amongst 6,500 waterbirds in January, and two Denham’s Bustards Neotis denhami.

In the Makgadikgadi Greater and Lesser Flamingos Phoeniconaias minor were breeding in January. Also of note in the north of Sua Pan were six Grey Crowned Cranes Balearica regulorum, a Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus and 63 Caspian Terns Sterna caspia. At Letsibogo Dam, in eastern Botswana, there was yet another Osprey in January. In the south-east, Bokaa Dam produced 300 Black-winged Pratincoles, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Ruddy Turnstone and a Terek Sandpiper in December–January, and two African Skimmers at the end of February-a very unusual species in southern Botswana.

Other records, not yet accepted by the records committee, all in October-February,  include Botswana's second Garganey Anas querquedula at Lake Ngami on 23 February, a Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga near Kasane, an Augur Buzzard Buteo augur and a Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus on the Limpopo, a Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos at Bokaa Dam, a pair of Crowned Hornbills Tockus alboterminatus and Angola Swallows Hirundo angolensis in the Linyanti and at Kazungula, and a Whinchat Saxicola rubetra at Kasane on 17 February. In March, an adult Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus was seen at Stevensford Lodge, on the Limpopo River, on 19th, a Black-tailed Godwit in Chobe National Park on 6th and a Pectoral Sandpiper at Stanley's Camp, in the Okavango, on 13th.

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A Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus was claimed from the south-east, on the Botswana side of the Limpopo River near Stevensford Lodge, north of Sherwood, on 28 August 2004. In the Kwando River Concession, in the north, four Angola Swallows Hirundo angolensis were present on 29 September; this appears to be the first record for Botswana.

Records from November 2003–March 2004. A female Eleonora's Falcon Falco eleonorae was seen near the old gate linking Chobe National Park to Kasane, in mid-January. Other interesting species in mid-January included Corncrake Crex crex and Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia along the Chobe River. An adult female and a juvenile Olive Woodpecker Dendropicos griseocephalus at Mowana Lodge, Kasane, on 15 November, represents a first record for the country; previous sightings in the area were made across the Chobe River in the Eastern Caprivi, Namibia, and near Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The first Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus for southern Africa was found at Kaa game viewing area, on the edge of Gemsbok National Park, on 19 March; numerous Red-backed Shrikes L. collurio and Lesser Grey Shrikes L. minor were also present. Northern Grey-headed Sparrows Passer griseus were recorded around Mowana Lodge, Kasane, on 14-16 November.

Records from June-October 2003. Successful breeding by four pairs of Pink-backed Pelicans Pelecanus rufescens at Letsibogo Dam, in the east, during the dry winter months was the first breeding record for this species away from the Okavango Delta and the Makgadikgadi Pans; nine fully grown young were present on 28 September. The Chobe River was rich in waterbirds in July-August, when 23,896 individuals were counted. Water had backed up the Chobe River from the Zambezi so that the Chobe was flowing upriver and into Lake Liambezi. On the western Chobe floodplain, over 2,250 Great White Pelicans Pelecanus onocrotalus (9% of the southern African population), 104 Intermediate Egrets Egretta intermedia , c700 African Spoonbills Platalea alba, c5,565 White-faced Whistling Ducks Dendrocygna viduata , 1,925 Fulvous Whistling Ducks Dendrocygna bicolor , 1,756 Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma and 1,000 Collared Pratincoles Glareola pratincola were counted. A new colony of Slaty Egrets Egretta vinaceigula was discovered in the Jao area of the Okavango Delta, with 20-30 pairs breeding in June-July. Single Ospreys Pandion haliaetus were on the Okavango River near Shakawe in mid July, at Kasane sewage ponds on 24 August, and at Letsibogo Dam on 11 September. There were unconfirmed reports of a Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture Gyps rueppellii and a dead White-winged Flufftail Sarothrura ayresi in the Okavango. The buff-coloured inland race of White-fronted Plover Charadrius marginatus was seen at Letsibogo and Shashe Dams and in the east on the Motloutse River during the winter. Two Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus at Bokaa Dam near Gaborone on 11 August were of note, being a rare species inland and for the early date. Three Caspian Terns Sterna caspia were seen at Kavimba, on the western Chobe floodplain, on 24 July. A count of 157 African Skimmers Rynchops flavirostris was made on 7 August on a sandbank on the Okavango River near Mohembo. Swamp Nightjars Caprimulgus natalensis were heard at three locations on the western Chobe floodplain near Satau on 20–22 August. A flock of c50 Horus Swifts Apus horus was seen at Talana Farms, in the east, on 1 June. A Shelley's Sunbird Cinnyris shelleyi was claimed from Mowana Safari Lodge, Kasane, in the extreme north-east, on 18 October. There was an unprecedented influx of Stark’s Larks Eremalauda starki into eastern Botswana, from Bobonong across the Zimbabwe border in the Tuli Circle, in June-October, the most notable record being that of a flock of c300 on 29 July. Three Stark's Larks were seen at Kazuma Pan, in the north-east, on 24 August; like the records from Bobonong, this is c1000 km beyond its usual range in the Karoo and Namibia. Also in the Tuli Circle, an influx of Lark-like Buntings Emberiza impetuani took place from March onwards.

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Records from the period October 2002–March 2003. A Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris was reported from the Guma Lagoon area, in the west of the Okavango Delta, in February. During waterbird surveys in the Delta in January–February, 278 Slaty Egrets Egretta vinaceigula were seen entering mixed roosts at dusk. Up to 400 Woolly-necked Storks Ciconia episcopus were observed in Moremi Game Reserve in early January. A male Garganey Anas querquedula in eclipse plumage was seen on the Boteti River near Maun during the surveys; this constitutes the fifth record for the country. Single Ospreys Pandion haliaetus were seen on the Chobe River, at Kasane sewage ponds, on the Okavango River near Etsatsa Island (on 7 February), and at Letsibogo Dam in the east (on 16 February). Single Pallid Harriers Circus macrourus were observed in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, at Nata Sanctuary and at Tale Pan. A European Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus was at Winteroord, northern Tuli Block, on 9 March. Two Spotted Crakes Porzana porzana were near Maun and a Corncrake Crex crex was in the north-west of the Delta; both are rare in Botswana. A Baillon’s Crake Porzana pusilla was found at Mohembo, in the north, during February. Some 54 Wattled Cranes Bugeranus carunculatus were noted in the Delta, whereas on the Chobe River a Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum was seen. A notably large flock of 210 Wattled Cranes was seen c50 km north-east of Gumare in the Delta on 19 April. Flocks of 102 and 78 African Skimmers Rynchops flavirostris were seen in the north and south of the Delta, as well as several smaller groups of 3-6 birds, in early January. A Black Saw-wing Psalidoprocne pristoptera was observed at Dopotta, northern Tuli Block, on 3 October; this is only second record for Botswana. In the south, six Eurasian Reed Warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus were trapped in December and February at Phakalane sewage ponds near Gaborone, where the species is regularly recorded from November to March. A flock of 60 Sharp-tailed Starling Lamprotornis acuticaudus was c25 km north-east of Beetsha, on the northern side of the Okavango Delta, on 22 April. Common Mynas Acridotheres tristis continue to spread, with records from established areas in Lobatse and Gaborone, and now also in Mahalapye. Twelve Parasitic Weavers Anomalospiza imberbis were at Nxamaseri, northern Botswana, from 9 to 14 October. An influx of Lark-like Buntings Emberiza impetuani into eastern Botswana occurred from March onwards, with a few records from the north where the species is uncommon; the combination in these areas of low rainfall and late rains, producing seeding grass, had presumably caused this influx.

Last page update 5th November 2007

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